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Friday, February 13, 2009

I'm sure you have noticed that Joe and I have been a little lacksadaisical on our blogging over the past month or so. Please accept our apologies. We have had so much going on lately and definitely should have been blogging about it. We've been working, planning, meeting with DJs and MCs, meeting with the church wedding coordinator and musicians, hiking, camping, making seating arrangements, designing programs, getting kidney biopsies, etc.

[by the way...that last part was just Joe]

In addition, the next week or so may be a little crazy, too, because......Joe and I are gettin' hitched in exactly 7 days from today. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? Time just flies by like you wouldn't believe, huh? We were talking about this last night, actually. When you're going through anything, it always seems like it will take such a long time to get through. But once it's past, you look back on it and realize that time just flew right on by. For example:

When we knew that Joe had to get a new kidney and that he would be on dialysis for a while, that time went by SO SLOWLY! And then the transplant day itself was crazy - realizing that it was all actually happening. He was actually getting a new organ! And right after the surgery, wondering if his body would accept or reject it, if there would be any complications, etc. It was all physically and mentally draining. But now, he's going on 4 months and 1 week with no complications whatsoever! Jen and the Mayo Clinic really worked a miracle!

And when Joe proposed last April we knew that we had almost a whole year before our big day. But now it's only 1 week away.

Time just flies by.

This weekend we will be cleaning like mad people, putting programs together (I am making them myself and really hope they turn out okay), getting a trial run of hair and makeup (this will be me only), as well as getting some last minute shopping done. Other than that, we are pretty much DONE and it is so exciting!!! I am excited to marry Joe because he's my favorite person! I'm excited to see all of my family and to meet Joe's friends and family I haven't met! I'm excited to spend time with friends, to see all of our family friends, and just have a good time! I'm so excited!!!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Joe and I have started hiking a lot recently. When we decided to find a place to live in Phoenix, we found a good location right near the Phoenix Mountains Preserves because at the time we were thinking about living somewhere where we could spend a lot of time with our future dog. We FINALLY started going recently and it's just so much fun!!

I know the trails are right in the middle of the city, but there's actually a point where you hike up to the top of one of the summits and then start hiking down into a canyon-type area, and you can't hear a sound. You can actually see the Phoenix skyline off in the distance, but it's so silent and peaceful that it's almost eerie. I love that.

And the absolute BEST time to go for a hike is the day after a storm. I know storms in Phoenix happen only once in a blue moon, but when it happens, the rain washes away all of the pollution and for a single moment the Arizona horizon is completely pure and beautiful.

This is a little survey thing going around on Facebook and thought I'd share...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people, then click publish.)

1. I am so much in love with Joe. He's my favorite and he's just plain awesome. And we are getting married in 2 weeks!!!!

2. I have bitten my nails since I was in the womb. Last year, one of my 2008 New Years' resolutions was to stop biting my nails. It actually lasted about 9 months. My best time yet! This year, I am going to last the whole year, though. Almost 2 months now so far, and counting. Do you think they have meetings for nailbiters? he he

3. I love the Twilight series. LOVE it. Really can't get enough of it. I even went to see the first movie, Twilight, in the theater 3 times. And yes, I know how old I am.

4. I never had a dog growing up. Not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but I finally got my first dog (Lucy Fur) at age 27 and am loving every second of it!!

5. I would like to write and publish a novel before I die.

6. After 16 years, Tim Robbins is still my favorite actor.

7. I accidentally slammed my sister's finger in our car door when I was about 6 years old. At least I THINK it was an accident. I don't really believe that, at age 6, I would maliciously plan and attack her finger.

8. I love to watch movies. All kinds. My favorites are The Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart, Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version), The Departed, The Red Violin, Crash, Bridget Jones movies, The Last Samurai, Boondock Saints, The Goonies, Someone Like You and The Fifth Element.

9. One of my absolute most favorite things to do is go camping. In fact...that's what Joe and I are doing for our honeymoon!

10. Joe and I have started hiking a lot recently. We decided to live in Phoenix right near the Phoenix Mountains Preserves because at the time we were thinking about living somewhere where we could spend a lot of time with our dog (we actually didn't have a dog yet). We FINALLY started going recently and it's just so much fun. I know the trails are right in the middle of the city, but there's actually a point where you hike up to the top of one of the summits and then start hiking down into a canyon-type area, and you can't hear a sound. You can actually see the Phoenix skyline off in the distance, but it's so silent and peaceful that it's almost eerie. I love that.

11. I hate talking on the phone. HATE it. And I work at a job where I am required to talk on the phone at least 3 hours every day.

12. I love music and think of myself as very musical. I play the guitar and piano and like to sing a little, too. I go through spurts every now and then when I will either play the guitar a lot, play the piano a lot, or do neither for a while. Right now, I'm starting to get in the piano phase again. I really need to keep at it, though, because some songs I used to be phenomenal at are now quite rusty.

13. I really want a Volvo. I have for years. I think the first time I really noticed them was when I first moved to Boston. There, every fifth or sixth car was a Volvo. They aren't very common in the southwest, so that's why I first took notice of them when I moved to New England. I really like the newer ones and I would LOVE to have one of the new C30's, but I really have a soft spot for the V70 (circa 1997). And I figure it's a fairly attainable goal...considering that every third and fourth car in Boston was either a Saab or a Porsche!

14. I would be a TERRIBLE actress.

15. I have a serious fear that Joe and I are going to lose our jobs. The way things are going right now, I'm actually terrified of it.

16. I love tuna casserole with a side of sweet peas.

17. I get really messy sometimes, but in an organized way (if that makes sense).

18. Sometimes I don't make sense.

19. I recorded about 11 tracks in a studio while I was living in Boston, and about 5 or 6 of them were originals. That was so much fun! I really want to do that again as some point.

20. I love graphic design. I'm not phenomenal by any means and am still learning, but I love it and really wish that I could possibly own my own design business one day.

21. I really miss Cheers and The Hampshire House. A lot. The people I worked with there really became a sort of "family" for me while I was living in the northeast. There is such a huge place in my heart for all of them.

22. We had a cat, Noodles, when I was 7 years old. After about 6 months (give or take a few) it ran away.

23. I want to travel more. I really want to go to Oregon this year. I also want to go to Alaska someday. I would also like to (finally) take a trip back East again. We haven't been able to go back since moving to Arizona. Also, Joe's never been to California, so we're definitely going to take a trip there. Outside the United States, the places I'd most like to see are Santorini (and really all of Greece), Italy, the British Isles, South America (in particular Iguazu Falls), Canada, and Australia and pretty much anywhere in the South Pacific.

24. I love to read. Pretty much just fiction. Especially women's fiction (i.e. "girlie books" that usually some in a bright pink, blue or purple color) and suspense (i.e. anything by James Patterson or Dennis Lehane). I know that I should be more interested in non fiction books, current events books, and the like. But at the end of the day, I'd much rather lose myself in someone else's imaginary worlds. My favorites are The Alchemist, The Giver, The Da Vinci Code, Pride and Prejudice, the Twilight series, and pretty much anything by Dennis Lehane, James Patterson and Marian Keyes.